[8] Boom Bang, Bang Boom

Claire wasn't one for formalities in the dance of battle, she jumped back, swinging her blade upwards. The very crust of the island below her shuddered, bisecting into two as a protruding mass of sharpened ice flew forwards in blinding speed.

Coldren's crystal figure twisted, his hands grasped the handle of his blade and the winds churned in return with his movement.

"Break for me!" He bellowed, his greatsword descending as the very air itself split.

A harrowing crunch boomed, ice shards flew everywhere, and the ground shook.

"Goddammit, are you trying to slice me too!?!" Asta screamed as his small, floating, body quivered. He shuddered, floating into the air and away from the battle.

However, Coldren the Frozen Knight disregarded his voice. With a small huff, he pulled back his sword, his crimson eyes dancing.

"Where are you?" His voice thundered.

Behind him, a glimmering piece of ice suddenly shuddered before disappearing away and revealing the visage of a girl already in the midst of swinging the blade she held.

"You're far too young to try and hide your bloodlust from me!" Coldren scoffed, twisting his body as his left arm lashed out.

Claire's ice sword was blown away and her hands caught in the cold death grip of the knight.

"Oh?" She merely replied with a raised brow, "I think it'll serve you well to look up."

And look up he did...

Did he really think she was an idiot? Why would she go toe to toe with a behemoth with a mere katana ice sword? She had only briefly summoned the thing to look cool anyway.

...above both of them, overshadowing the battlefield, was a gigantic boulder of pure ice.

By the time the frozen Knight looked back and prepared to tighten his grip and break the girl's arms, Claire had already disappeared, a chuck of ice was the only thing left in his grasp.

Coldren's crimson eyes flared! His hand crunched the ice into dust as he quickly dropped his blade.

Both of his hands raised.

Boom

The knight's feet sunk into the earth, cracks spreading across the crystal ground below them.

Claire looked unwavering at the image of a Frozen knight barely shaking under a boulder of ice. Then her eyes traced over to the dropped greatsword just a ways from it, sitting on the island below their feet.

She smiled.

"This is a nice sword," Claire said, walking unhurriedly over to it.

Her feet tapped against its blade, a layer of ice rapidly condensed across its surface.

"I think I'll keep it."

The weapon shattered into fragments before disappearing to god know's where.

The Frozen Knight's crimson eyes flared as it roared, "Girl! I'll butcher you!"

Its body quaked, expanding as glimmering silver light continued to radiate outwards.

"Huh...miss...I think you should escape..." Asta's shaking voice drifted into Claire's ears.

She rolled her eyes, her hand shining with azure light, "Why do you two believe I'm stupid?"

The instant a chunk of ice was formed in her hands, she tossed it.

BANG!

An explosion ripped through the vicinity as white light filled the area.

Naturally, Claire safely stood away from the impact as she glanced at the scene before her with an unchanged expression.

She was at the edge of a large crater, white smoke filled the area but through her narrowed eyes, she could see a thin figure wavering at its center.

As abruptly as it came, the smoke cleared to reveal the Frozen Knight. . .or what she thought was it.

Its height was definitely smaller, now just about an inch taller than herself. Its body had slimmed down, retaining the shape of a human, but an extremely thin human—there was no longer any armor on its figure, it had simply become a construct of crystal ice made to resemble a human.

It had no face, there were only two orbs of azure light dancing in sockets that she could only assume to be eyes.

"So it got a makeover?" Claire raised a brow, slightly impressed.

Asta's figure shuddered down behind her, "Oh no...oh no...he's entered Stage Two!"

"Stage two? What is he, Freiza?" Claire replied.

At that moment, the head of the knight turned as its azure eyes narrowed onto her figure. Its legs bent and its body leaned forward.

"Oh," Claire suddenly felt a chill run down her spine and, for someone who was supposed to be immune to the cold, she knew that an aura of danger had descended.

Before the knight could even move, she had already waved her hand.

Frozen walls raised from the ground.

The ground shattered as the beast blasted forth.

Layers and layers of ice walls crumbled with bangs, breaking into mere shards with its unstoppable charge.

Its fist struck out,

Bang

The last wall crumbled and it finally came to a stop.

There was no one there.

Its eyes flared.

It looked up, seeing a boulder of ice, and its figure blurred.

Boom

Claire watched as the knight walked out steadily from the dust, its body was spotless, no harm had been done to it. She watched with furrowed brows while its two hands morphed into sharpened blades. Those blades did not look like they were only made of ice. They looked as if someone had stuck actual swords into its arms. How was she to deal with this thing?

"Oh no...oh no..." There was a continuous annoyance behind her.

The Frozen Knight blurred.

Clarie's lips opened as blood spurted out.

She looked forward, seeing the knight directly in front of her, and looked down to see the two blades embedded into and having punctured through her stomach.

"See," Blood leaked from her lips as she stared at its 'face', struggling to talk. "The mistake you made. . .is impaling me of all people. . .with a body made of ice. . ."

Claire grinned, a touch of blood on her lips.

She willed her mana.

"<Devour>."